I'm in the parking lot of the Fairview branch library in Santa Monica where I borrowed tons of books as a kid. I'd walk home with a pile of ten or twelve books a week or so balanced under my chin. Now I'm using their wifi since my Mom's computer is difficult (I'm not complaining, she uses email and checks my blog in her mid 80s) to load pictures on and I don't have the right connectors to hook into her modem. So, I'm doing as much as I can while I'm here. I could go in now, but they weren't open when they arrived so I started here in the car.
I've been getting lots and lots (at least for my little blog) of traffic from people looking up Victor Lebow. I earlier posted the complete article that his most famous quote (that has gotten lots of play on the internet) came from. So, before I left Anchorage I asked the Interlibrary loan folks if they could get me the beginning of Lebow's Free Enterpirse: The Opium of the American People so I could see if there was more info on Lebow. Well here's the brief bio at the beginning of the book. I haven't read what they sent me yet, and if it is worthwhile, I'll post more. This was published in 1972 - 36 years ago.
Thanks for the update, interesting stuff. IMO it appears that the quote is not really out of context.
ReplyDeleteWish someone would buy me a Jstor account. His other articles around the same time would be the clincher either way.
I see that both my local colleges have the book, So I'm going to look that up.
Do we know any more about this book? The title would appear to imply that he saw free enterprise as problematic in some way, while his career would suggest the opposite.
ReplyDeleteMatt C
Matt C, At the time, I was about to travel and just asked that they get me - through inter-library loan - the introduction and preface. I really should get the whole book now.
ReplyDeleteBut it seemed pretty clear from what I read that this was one smart guy and while he'd gone into marketing, he began to see the contradictions and started to write about it.
I've tried to find people who knew Lebow - other Lebows, people at Columbia University - but so far without success.
Thanks for you comment. Check your local library, if they don't have it, you can probably get it through inter-library loan.